Devils Loan Fabian Zetterlund To Sweden
Even though most international leagues have started up and are in full flight, there are still roster spots being created for NHL-contracted players. One of those is with AIK of the Allsvenskan in Sweden as the team announced that they’ve added winger Fabian Zetterlund on loan from the Devils. The press release states that the agreement is in place until further notice, suggesting that it will be until NHL training camps resume.
The roster spot was created by the injury to Islanders prospect Oliver Wahlstrom. He suffered an upper-body injury on Wednesday and there is no word on how much time he’ll miss.
Zetterlund was a third-round pick of New Jersey back in 2017 (63rd overall) and made his debut in North America last season, playing in 46 games with AHL Binghamton. The 21-year-old acquitted himself relatively well, picking up eight goals and 11 assists but didn’t earn a recall to New Jersey last season.
It’s likely that Zetterlund will be back in the minors for next year but at the very least, this loan agreement will give him a chance to get into game action after last suiting up on March 11th with Binghamton. This will be his first time in AIK’s organization after coming up from Farjestad’s system initially; as they’re an SHL team (and not taking players on loan), Zetterlund had to dip down a level to get a chance to play close to home.
Ducks To Loan Jacob Larsson To Sweden
The Ducks are nearing an agreement to loan defenseman Jacob Larsson to Kristianstads IK of the Allsvenskan in Sweden, per a report from Kristianstadsbladet. SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson adds that the loan is agreed upon and the 23-year-old is expected to suit up on Saturday. The agreement will last until NHL training camps begin.
Larsson spent the majority of last season in Anaheim as he got into 60 games with the Ducks, managing two goals and five assists in a third pairing role while averaging a little over 16 minutes a night. It was the second straight year he spent more time in the NHL than in the minors as he suited up in 49 contests with Anaheim in 2018-19.
That helped earn Larsson a two-year, one-way deal in August that carries an AAV of $1.2MM and basically solidifies himself a full-time spot on the roster, especially since he’s waiver-eligible now. In the meantime, this loan will give him a chance to get in some much-needed game action as Anaheim was one of the teams that didn’t return to action this summer and give him some momentum heading into training camp.
Penguins Loan Emil Larmi To Finland
Pittsburgh has sent another one of their prospects overseas to get some playing time in Finland as Hameenlinnan Pallokerho (HPK) of the SM-liiga announced that they’ve added Penguins goaltender Emil Larmi on a loan agreement. The agreement is for up until NHL training camps begin but does contain an option to be extended for the entire season.
The 24-year-old is in the second and final year of his entry-level contract that was signed back in June of 2019. Larmi split last season between AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (nine games) and ECHL Wheeling (eleven games) and the results weren’t particularly strong at either level as he posted a 3.55 GAA with both teams.
A return to the Finnish league could be exactly what Larmi needs as his 2018-19 campaign with HPK was a very strong one as he had a 1.94 GAA in 36 regular playoff games and was even stingier in 18 postseason contests, posting a 1.72 mark to help win a league title. As things stand, the Penguins have a couple of goalies that will be minor league bound in veteran Maxime Lagace and Alex D’Orio. If they decide that D’Orio is better suited to be the backup in the AHL, it’s possible that the loan could be extended. If not, Larmi will have some work to do to secure a qualifying offer next offseason.
Penguins Loan Cam Lee To HC Slovan Bratislava
Defenseman Cam Lee is preparing to make his pro debut this season, but it won’t be with the team he expected when he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins this spring. When Lee takes the ice to begin the 2020-21 campaign, it will not be in the NHL or AHL but in the Slovakian Extraliga with HC Slovan Bratislava. The club announced that they have negotiated a loan with the Penguins that will allow Lee to play in Bratislava until NHL training camp opens.
Lee, 23, embarks on his first pro season after wrapping up an impressive four-year collegiate career at Western Michigan University. Lee notched 20+ points in each of the past three seasons, including 21 points in just 26 games as a senior, and led all Broncos defensemen in scoring in each of the past two years. The nephew of former NHL star goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Lee is a high IQ player who sees the ice well and moves the puck. Lee is unlikely to be rushed to the NHL like some other Penguins’ NCAA free agents, but if he can improve in some need areas over the course of his two-year entry-level contract, he could compete for opportunities at the top level down the road.
Easing in to the pro game by starting in Bratislava rather than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton may end up helping Lee in his first season. A former KHL club that is well-regarded and finished second in the Extraliga standings last season, Bratislava is a good team and a place where a young player can learn the game without feeling too much pressure. Former NHL defenseman Andrej Meszaros may also be a great mentor to the young defenseman. With that said, the team stated in their release that they have been disappointed by a slow start to this season, so Lee may also get the opportunity to play a key role for the club in the time before he returns for training camp.
Kristian Vesalainen Loaned To HPK
The Winnipeg Jets have sent Kristian Vesalainen to HPK in Finland for the time being, loaning him overseas until the 2020-21 season begins. The young forward still has two years remaining on his entry-level contract.
Vesalainen, 21, has had an interesting development path, to say the least. Selected 24th overall in 2017 he stayed in Finland with HPK for the following season, dominating Liiga to the tune of 39 points in 44 games before a late-season trade to Karpat for the playoffs. He ended up helping that team win the league title and starred at the World Juniors, but his first year in the Winnipeg organization didn’t go quite as well.
The young forward started in the NHL but after being sent down to the minor leagues used his European Assignment Clause to go to the KHL. After playing a few months in the KHL and being eliminated quickly in the playoffs, he returned to the AHL to play for the Manitoba Moose again.
That’s where he spent all of 2019-20, scoring 12 goals and 30 points in 60 games. The big winger still has a good chunk of development left before he becomes a real impact player at the NHL level, but he’ll get an early start on his season in a league he has already dominated. Hopefully that gives him the confidence and preparation needed to battle for a roster spot in Jets camp.
Sharks Loan Ivan Chekhovich To The KHL
The Sharks have loaned one of their prospects overseas as HC Torpedo of the KHL announced that they’ve added winger Ivan Chekhovich from San Jose. Unlike a lot of the loans in recent months, this one will be for the duration of the KHL season though he’ll be eligible to return to San Jose’s system after that.
The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick (212th overall) of the Sharks back in 2017 and signed an entry-level deal following a dominant season in the QMJHL where he finished second in the league in scoring with 43 goals and 62 assists in 66 games with Baie-Comeau. As they were eliminated quickly in the playoffs, he was able to report to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL and had seven points over nine contests between the end of the regular season and playoffs.
Accordingly, expectations were relatively high heading into his first full professional campaign but the results simply weren’t there. Chekhovich managed just four goals and eight assists in 42 games this past season before the pandemic put an end to the rest of their regular season and playoffs.
With that in mind, playing back home next season makes some sense as a way for Chekhovich to reset after a tough year. This is his first time with the Torpedo program as he was in Dynamo Moskva’s system before making his way to the major junior ranks.
Flames To Loan Artyom Zagidulin To The KHL
Calgary goaltending prospect Artyom Zagidulin should soon have an opportunity to get in some game action as Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL announced that they have a preliminary loan agreement in place with the Flames.
The 25-year-old made his debut in North America last season, suiting up in 30 games with AHL Stockton after signing with Calgary as an undrafted free agent in April of 2019. His numbers weren’t the greatest with a 3.07 GAA and a .898 SV% but he showed enough for the Flames to hand him a one-year deal back in June.
Zagidulin will be going to a familiar environment as Magnitogorsk is his hometown and has played in their system growing up. It was his performance with them back in 2018-19 (1.96 GAA, .924 SV% in 25 games) that got him on the NHL radar to begin with and now he’ll try to use this as a springboard to a better sophomore year in Calgary’s system.
Tampa Bay Loans Alexei Lipanov To The KHL
At least one more Lightning prospect will be playing in the coming weeks as Dynamo Moskva of the KHL announced that Tampa Bay has loaned Alexei Lipanov to them. However, unlike many of the players that have been loaned overseas while they wait for training camps to open, this one is for the duration of the season.
The 21-year-old was a third-round pick (76th overall) back in 2017 but his first full professional season didn’t go as planned. Lipanov played in just four AHL games with Syracuse and instead spent the majority of the year with ECHL Orlando. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t the most productive with the Solar Bears either, notching just nine goals and seven assists in 37 games.
This won’t be Lipanov’s first stint in Dynamo’s system as he spent parts of three years in that system before coming to the OHL after being drafted. Perhaps a return home will be enough to get him going offensively again.
Lipanov still has two years left on his entry-level deal with Tampa Bay. As he’s no longer junior-aged, the contract will not slide a year as a result of this loan so assuming he returns for the 2021-22 season, he’ll have some work to do to secure a qualifying offer.
Arizona Coyotes Loan Barrett Hayton To Ilves in Liiga
With loans to Europe getting more and more common with plenty of delays in North America, the Arizona Coyotes will be sending forward Barrett Hayton, the fifth overall pick in 2018, to Finland to play in the Liiga for Ilves, according to Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan and confirmed (translation required) by Ilves themselves. While many of the most recent loans to Europe have been for the entire season, Morgan adds that this is a loan until the NHL training camp begins.
Hayton is definitely a player that would want to take advantage of getting in some early work before the 2020-21 season begins. Hayton had a rough 2019-20 season, playing 20 games with the Coyotes last season. The 20-year-old played 14 games before the World Juniors, however, with limited playing time with Arizona. He then was released to join Team Canada where he dominated scoring six goals and 12 points in seven games, leading Canada to the gold medal.
However, that’s where things went south as he injured his shoulder in the tournament and didn’t return to the Coyotes until Feb. 20 where he only appeared in six games before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus. He did make three playoff appearances with Arizona, but still didn’t earn significant minutes.
The forward could be a key to the Coyotes future if he can earn himself a full-time role with the team next season. However, a stop in Finland could give him some extra-needed playing time. He will be playing alongside division rival Juuso Valimaki of the Calgary Flames on Ilves.
Dominik Bokk Linked To The SHL
A month ago, Hurricanes prospect Dominik Bokk was slated to play with Krefeld in Germany. However, with the start of their season delayed once again, the team announced yesterday that he would be moving on with the hopes of finding somewhere he can play. It appears that location will be Sweden as SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that the winger is on his way to Djurgarden of the SHL.
This will be Bokk’s third straight year in the SHL but it will be his third different team after playing with Vaxjo in 2018-19 and Rogle last season. He has put up 40 points in 94 games with those two teams, numbers that are quite impressive for someone that was still eligible to play junior hockey. Playing against his peers at the World Juniors with Germany, he led them in scoring with six goals and two assists in seven games while helping them avoid relegation.
It’s unknown how long this loan will be for. While the original plan was to have the 20-year-old return from Krefeld when training camps opened up, Svensson notes that Djurgarden is seeking players to play the full season, not just a couple of months. As a result, it’s possible that Carolina may have to wait a little longer for Bokk, the centerpiece of the Justin Faulk trade last year, suit up in their system.